Photo by TheQ

In previous years, Opening Day at Nationals Park has meant expectations of incremental improvement. Squads that lost more than 100 games gave way to a team that lost 93, which was followed by one that broke even, that was succeeded by last year.

Ah, yes. The last time the Washington Nationals were on their home field, the greatest baseball season that D.C. had seen in eight decades ended with one of this city’s darkest nights in the sport. No one will forget the Nats’ collapse in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series, but a new season means ablution.

Manager Davey Johnson hung a sign reading “World Series or bust” in the Nationals clubhouse before the start of this season, and with good reason. This team is something for others to fear. While most of last year’s 98-64 squad remains, the lineup, starting rotation, and bullpen have all been upgraded.

Stephen Strasburg gets the Opening Day start for the second year in a row, but with the prospect of pitching all year. There will be no mid-season shutdown for the 24-year-old ace. Should the Nationals return to the playoffs, Strasburg will be there. “He’s got the shackles off,” Johnson told The Washington Post about Strasburg’s prospect’s this year.

The rest of the rotation looks mostly the same—reigning 20-game winner Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Ross Detweiler are back—save the addition of Dan Haren, a three-time All-Star who at 32, is the old guy of the bunch.

The even more youthful Bryce Harper is also set to play his first full major-league season, now with an new everyday job in left field. Harper, last year’s National League Rookie of the Year, is the consensus favorite of prognosticators at ESPN and Sports Illustrated to add a Most Valuable Player prize to his trophy collection. At 20, Harper is still too young to drink but he’s come a long way from the brash teenager that DCist use to mock for throwing minor-league tantrums. And, yes, you can still buy a “Clown Question” T-Shirt.

And unlike last year, when the Nationals cobbled together a closer-by-committee system, this season begins with the addition of one of the game’s best shutdown artists in Rafael Soriano. The hard-throwing right-hander notched 45 saves last year filling in for the best player to ever occupy the closer’s position—the New York Yankees’ Mariano Rivera—but with New York preferring to give the 42-year-old Rivera one last go-around, Soriano was ripe for the signing.

The off-season’s other big acquisition, center fielder Denard Span, brings defensive and base-running upgrades. Michael Morse was let go—he plays for the Seattle Mariners now—but at the cost of locking in Adam LaRoche for several more years. The lineup looks to be even more fearsome, with Johnson saying during spring training that his ideal player card features Jayson Werth and Harper batting second and third.

The 2013 season begins at 1:05 p.m. today against the Miami Marlins, who a year after opening a gaudy new stadium and spending exorbitantly on free agents, gutted their roster to a paltry $35 million and are expected to compete with the New York Mets for the dregs of the National League East. And in addition to the game on the field, there are a few other things to look forward to this season, such as:

Skinny Taft: When the Nationals announced they were adding a fifth cast member to their fourth-inning Racing Presidents, DCist readers suggested Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Ultimately, the team went with William Howard Taft, though it elected to represent our nation’s most corpulent president with a rather trim mascot. Fatitude it ain’t, but at least it’ll be more interesting than Teddy always losing (or always winning).

Flying Dog: Beers from the Frederick, Md.-based brewery will be on tap all season long in Nationals Park’s general concession areas. Thirsty fans can queue up for a Raging Bitch Belgian-style IPA, UnderDog Atlantic Lager, or Snake Dog IPA.

Bike to the Park: This isn’t exactly a new thing. The Nationals have long had 250 bike racks around their stadium, as well as a free valet service for baseball-seeking cyclists. It’s just a nice feature to have, especially with the stadium right next to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. Yeah, Citi Field has bike racks, but when’s the last time you heard of anyone enjoying a scenic ride through lovely Flushing?

Endless Discussion of Stratospheric Expectations: That “World Series or bust” sign Johnson posted in the Nationals’ locker room is no joke, and it might as well speak to us all. After that whiff of post-season baseball last year, everyone—players, management, and especially fans—is hungry to erase that season’s bitter end and follow it with the only thing that could take the pain away: winning the World Series. All year, expect constant chatter about why the Nationals are destined to win 120 games, or lose 120 games, or sweep the playoffs, or not even make it in. There will be armchair managing, wringing of hands about roster moves over which you have absolutely no control, and nervous sweating until the moment the Nationals have the World Series trophy in their grasps. Unless the Nationals win the World Series, they’ll be in a 29-way tie for last place. Basically, welcome to the condition known as being a Yankees fan.

Except here, it’s a lot more fun.